# Do nail polishes have a shelf life ?



## magosienne (Apr 15, 2010)

I'm sure it does, but as i was browsing through my collection of polishes, i noticed the oldest bottles i have are about one year old.

The China Glaze polishes look as if they've been opened yesterday.

My Claire's bottles on the contrary disappointed me. They either became goopy or dry with time, of the 5 i own i had to toss 4, and the remaining one is my least favorite, the one i didn't use as much.

Looking back, these were not so cheap either. I've had that similar problem with Sephora and Bourjois nail polishes.

I wonder what's the magical ingredient in my China Glaze that makes them last longer, the high content of toluene maybe ?


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## Eyelining (Apr 15, 2010)

I'm sure people will argue with me but no. Your polish will outlive you. The ingredients in nail varnish do not lend themselves to going 'off' or growing bacteria. You can/ will develop formula issues but their are umpteen remedies to this on sale (e.g. Seche Restore) for when polish gets thick and gloopy. Check out Scrangies blog for a great tutorial on fixing old polish.

I *think* it's a chemical called toyulene (sp?) that makes polish runny. It's likely this chemical is more abundant in better quality polishes. It tends to be one of the chemicals in restorers too.

Hope that helps


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## Lucy (Apr 15, 2010)

interesting stuff eyelining!

my OPI lincoln park after dark, my first EVER OPI polish, is completely gloopy and unusable. i bought it about 3 years ago. it makes me so sad. i know i can probably restore it but it annoys me that i paid around Â£8 for something that doesn't last. having said that, all my other OPIs are fine. i even have some h&amp;m polishes that have stood the test of time.

i think it depends a lot on storage and the formula. i might not have taken the best care of my lincoln park after dark, because as i said, all my other OPIs are fine.


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## emily_3383 (Apr 16, 2010)

I only bother restoring polishes I really like. The others i just throw out.


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## magosienne (Apr 16, 2010)

I didn't know i could restore my nail polishes !

I went through different options of storage, i'm not sure it had any influence on the polishes though. Currently i'm using a plastic box, stored in my closet with my other makeup. The bottles are always stored standing up, far from light and heat sources.


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## Ingrid (Apr 16, 2010)

China glaze and OPI are the best nail polishes and last the longest. There is certainly a good reason why most of the nail salons and spas use those two brands.


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## Topazz (Apr 22, 2010)

where can you find this Seche Restore stuff? Wal-mart? Walgreens?? I don't paint my nails much but the colors I do have I love, I just don't use the often enough and I only get a handful of uses out of them before they start getting goopy.


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## lolaB (Apr 22, 2010)

Topazz, do you have a Sally beauty supply by you? The carry it. CVS and Ulta do as well.

But yeah, there's no such thing as shelf life for me as long as I have a bottle of Seche Restore.


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## Dalylah (Apr 22, 2010)

They do get old but the Seche Restore is a lifesaver. You can buy it online at Head2Toe.


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## ibasttpwanse (Apr 22, 2010)

I, too am a Seche Restore user. I got mine at my nail salon. It was $1 more than the price @Sally's, but I think I made up the difference in gas savings. So, you could check your fav nail salon if the others don't work for you.


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## BeautyCrackHead (Apr 25, 2010)

Originally Posted by *Eyelining* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm sure people will argue with me but no. Your polish will outlive you. The ingredients in nail varnish do not lend themselves to going 'off' or growing bacteria. You can/ will develop formula issues but their are umpteen remedies to this on sale (e.g. Seche Restore) for when polish gets thick and gloopy. Check out Scrangies blog for a great tutorial on fixing old polish. I *think* it's a chemical called toyulene (sp?) that makes polish runny. It's likely this chemical is more abundant in better quality polishes. It tends to be one of the chemicals in restorers too.

Hope that helps 

I agree! I only throw away gloopy nail polish, or dried nail polish. Mi mama still has nail polish from the 90's..y its still creamy y everything!


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